lament

1 of 2

verb

la·​ment lə-ˈment 

lamented; lamenting; laments

intransitive verb

: to mourn aloud : wail

nightingales lament without ceasing

—L. P. Smith

transitive verb

1

: to express sorrow, mourning, or regret for often demonstratively : mourn

… must regret the imprudence, lament the result …

—Jane Austen

2

: to regret strongly

He lamented his decision not to go to college.

lament

2 of 2

noun

1

: a crying out in grief : wailing

2

: dirge, elegy

3

: complaint

Synonyms

Verb

• bemoan
• bewail
• deplore
• grieve (for)
• mourn
• wail (for)

Noun

• groan
• howl
• keen
• lamentation
• moan
• plaint
• wail

Choose the Right Synonym for lament

deplore, lament, bewail, bemoan mean to express grief or sorrow for something.

deplore implies regret for the loss or impairment of something of value.

deplores the breakdown in family values

lament implies a profound or demonstrative expression of sorrow.

lamenting the loss of their only child

bewail and bemoan imply sorrow, disappointment, or protest finding outlet in words or cries, bewail commonly suggesting loudness, and bemoan lugubriousness.

fans bewailed the defeat

purists bemoaning the corruption of the language

Examples of lament in a Sentence

Verb

She lamented over the loss of her best friend.

“I've lost my best friend!” she lamented.

Noun

The poem is a lament for a lost love.

the national lament that was heard when the beloved singer perished in the crash

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

Watch on Deadline Cast members have lamented the network’s decision to shutter a broadcast television show that still commanded a large audience. —Jill Goldsmith, Deadline, 18 Oct. 2024

The announcement comes days after Tyler infamously lamented about fans badgering him for new music online. —Jeff Ihaza, Rolling Stone, 17 Oct. 2024

Noun

The themes of Game 2 were laments about pitches gone awry for a No. 2 starter and the appreciation of Perez, who stuck around and was willing to wait through a rebuild for another chance at hitting postseason homers. —Larry Fleisher, Forbes, 8 Oct. 2024

For the longest time the lament has been about un-banked segments of the population, and the need for financial institutions to spread their services across greater numbers, but for the problem of price controls. —John Tamny, Forbes, 10 Oct. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Verb and Noun

Middle English lementen, from Middle French & Latin; Middle French lamenter, from Latin lamentari, from lamentum, noun, lament

First Known Use

Verb

15th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Noun

circa 1592, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

lament

1 of 2 verb

la·​ment lə-ˈment 

1

: to mourn aloud : wail

2

: to express sorrow for : bewail

lamentation

ˌlam-ən-ˈtā-shən

noun

lament

2 of 2 noun

1

: a crying out in grief

2

: a mournful song or poem